Head-to-head
Mauritius Authorised Company (Mauritius): forms in 5–7 days from USD 1,900; privacy — filed but not public; strongest for Africa & India corridors. Treaty access and a respected regulator for africa-facing structures.
UK Limited (United Kingdom): forms in 1 days from GBP 450; privacy — public register; strongest for global trading credibility. Same-day formation with unmatched counterparty acceptance.
Cost & speed verdict
On raw formation economics the comparison is USD 1,900 against GBP 450; renewals track similarly. On speed, Mauritius Authorised Company completes in 5–7 working days versus 1 for UK Limited — in both cases your certified KYC pack is the real clock.
Banking & acceptance verdict
Counterparty and bank acceptance often decides this contest. Mauritius Authorised Company is the natural pick where the mandate is Africa & India corridors; UK Limited wins where the file leans toward global trading credibility. GoldenKey maintains a live acceptance map across UAE, Singapore and EMI compliance desks for both registries.
Our recommendation
Choose Mauritius Authorised Company when Africa & India corridors describes your plan; choose UK Limited when global trading credibility does. When neither fits cleanly, a UAE free-zone license or an ADGM SPV frequently beats both — we will tell you honestly in a free consultation.